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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24003625">Starstruck</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/winternightmoondays/pseuds/winternightmoondays'>winternightmoondays</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy IV, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>A quite confused and little rough Helcurt, A very humble and kind Scarmiglione, ALTERNATE UNIVERSE I GUESS, Awkwardness, Baking Rubicante, Crossover, Crossovers &amp; Fandom Fusions, Crystal Gems, Darkness, Developing Friendships, English is not my native language, Gen, He Had Never Been The Hero, Hey I Like Your Hood, Hoodsquad, Hyperion, Late Night Writing, Magical Realism, Mobile Legends Bang Bang, Nature, Scalcur, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Reflection, Shyness, Stars, This Was A Lot OF Effort, This will probably not get many views, Thunder and Lightning, Winter, Zodiac Helcurt, darkness and light, light - Freeform, mountain, night sky, the abyss - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:08:20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,604</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24003625</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/winternightmoondays/pseuds/winternightmoondays</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Helcurt wanders the mountain on the search for Alucard, as he suddenly witnesses a star disappearing from the night sky. In the same moment, a person he has never seen before appears: Scarmiglione (Milo). Neither of them know how he could get transported to Helcurt from another world. Has this something to do with the vanished star? They are sure that this can't be a coincidence, and while they are still battling their confusement, a danger creeps in that could mean the end for The Land of Dawn...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Helcurt&amp;Scarmiglione</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Starstruck</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImpishTricksters/gifts">ImpishTricksters</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So this is a Final Fantasy IV/ Mobile Legends Bang Bang crossover, inspired by my friend ImpishTricksters, who is a big fan of both appearing characters. I'm not into either of these fandoms, so correct me if i did something wrong, but I tried my best portraying the setting and the characters well! If you like starry night visions and some drama, this should be entertaining!</p>
<p>(POV changes included)</p>
<p>I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>(POV HELCURT) </p>
<p>It was one of these cloudless winter days, far too dry and far too cold to show the slightest sign of a snowflake. Helcurt was sick of having to breathe in the cold air, and he kept his head low with his eyes to the ground to breathe into his hood. Looking down was also necessary as he didn't want to get trapped in the roots emerging from the earth, but at the same time he didn't want to run into a tree. Why was he still out here anyways? The sky was darkening already, and he started to get tired of all this. He's been skimming through the mountain woods since sunrise, looking for Alucard. He's been making a lot of trouble in the latest battle, and last night he has stolen some artefact and run away with it. Helcurt didn't really understand what was so special with this one, in the end it was just one of Cyclops' hundreds of artefacts in his huge collection. But Cyclops was one of his best friends, if not the only one, and he always wanted to have a word with this daring young man anyways.</p>
<p> Helcurt decided to go straight up the mountain until he would reach the summit. He was sick of all these never ending trees still carrying loads of snow, which they might drop on him at any time. He literally could feel their displeased gazes on him for interrupting the natural silence. Heavily panting, he finally reached the borderline, and the frozen grass slowly transformed to stone. His hiking had lasted longer than he thought, and the sky was of a pitch black by now. For the first time since longer he separated his eyes from the floor and looked up. The sight that greeted him got him astounded. Hundreds of stars stood on the sky, shining in different beautiful colours; violet, turquoise, ocean blue, lilac, lavender, silver. As always, when facing the night sky, his tail out of crystal absorbed the light and began to gloom from inside, just as his blades did, and he could feel the clear energy of the stars vibrating through his veins. He couldn't keep his eyes off this wonder of nature, and in this moment he didn't mind anymore the tortures of this day or the foolishness of Alucard.</p>
<p> Helcurt didn't know how long he spent sitting there, hypnotized by the stars, when suddenly something changed. At first he didn't notice the star Hyperion seeming to get brighter, a deep intriguing shade of violet. Until it slowly transformed to a bright light that overshadowed the other stars. It was a strange appearance, and Helcurt couldn't process what was happening. The light got even brighter and brighter, and at the time he thought it would light up the whole sky, it vanished in a flash.<br/>
Through the sudden light change Helcurt sat there being blinded. The stars came back soon, probably due to his good vision skills, but Helcurt stayed dazed. He had never seen such a bright flash on the sky. Totally confused, he kept on staring at the stars.</p>
<p> Everything seemed normal again, no other flashes, every star as bright as before. Until suddenly he saw it and gasped. Where was Hyperion? He couldn't be mistaken; Helcurt has spent half of his nightlife looking at the stars and studying them. If everyone would be able to see as he did, they'd do the same. He knew all the constellations by heart, one of them being Scalcur, a famous figure of twenty-seven stars, whose meaning no one could tell. This constellation was still a mystery. And now it lacked a star. Although Helcurt had absolutely no idea what this could mean, he got an uneasy feeling. Shivers ran down his spine. A star just vanished right before his eyes, and Scalcur was left unfinished. He wasn't sure whether to believe the old sayings, but after them a constellation left open was a tragedy with consequences.</p>
<p> Sadly that didn't help him either now. What should he do? Tracking down Alucard didn't matter anymore. This here was a problem of major importance. What if nobody but him witnessed this spectacle? He couldn't count on the others' ordinary eyes, and they haven't had the privilege to be on the upper half of a mountain. And most surely did no one else bother to look up and admire the stars, these ignorant fools. Right in the middle of his thoughts Helcurt heard a gasp. He whirled around.<br/>
Behind him stood a hunched figure, covered in some sort of big cape, staring at him in awkward confusion. The only thing visible of his face were big yellow eyes and some wavy strands of hair, the rest was hidden in the darkness under his clothing, apart from two long tentacles reaching out from under it. Helcurt could distinguish his small clawed hands fiddling with something. </p>
<p>"Um...hello...nice hood!" </p>
<p>Helcurt was speechless. Where did this person come from? How come he hadn't noticed? </p>
<p>"Who are you? “, he asked, with an almost aggressive tone he hadn't intended to use, though he really was a bit annoyed. Now his opponent seemed more confused than before and just kept staring at him. When he still didn't reply, Helcurt decided that this guy was no threat to him and he had to move on. </p>
<p>"Hey, so I've got no idea who you are or why you are here, but I've got some work to do, you understand?" </p>
<p>He realised in the same moment that he actually didn't know what he was going to do, so his statement probably didn't seem very convincing. </p>
<p>"No, please wait! Okay, so my name is Scarmiglione."<br/>
Pause. Was he supposed to say something now? </p>
<p>"Alright, Scarmi...uh? Nice to meet you." </p>
<p>"Scarmiglione. But just call me Scami, or Milo. Whatever."<br/>
This all went a bit too fast for Helcurt - they've already arrived at nicknames. He surely wasn't going to offer his. </p>
<p>"I'm Helcurt", he said as brisk as he could.<br/>
Milo nodded. Neither Helcurt nor Milo knew what to say now, this whole situation was just awkward. What are you supposed to say to a complete stranger, suddenly appearing in your back? For Helcurt it was even weirder not being able to recognize him, as he knew pretty much everyone in this country. Though sometimes he wished he didn't; he had seen them dying, or at least most of them. Caring was not an advantage. And today this was the second thing he witnessed which he never had seen before. That was really irritating. But it made him curious. </p>
<p>"Where are you from? How did you get here?" </p>
<p>(POV SCARMIGLIONE) </p>
<p>Confusion couldn't nearly describe what Milo felt at the moment. What the hell was going on? It had been a sunny afternoon, with a smell of spring in the air. He had left the house to Rubicante, who was eager to bake a cake this day. Milo rather went outside, mostly because it had been a long time since the sun came out, but also because Rubicante was planning to upgrade Milo's oven. So Milo spent the afternoon taking care of the plants in his garden and fulfilling the general duties of a gardener in the times of spring. The earth was his natural element, thus gardening was one of his favourite hobbies. It has been a long winter, and now he highly enjoyed having his hands in the no longer frozen earth. </p>
<p>But suddenly there was something wrong. He felt a strange pulse vibrating around his hands. Someone else wouldn't have noticed it, but Milo was very sensitive about everything that was going on in the ground. Now he was confused; but he quickly decided to search for the origin. Placing both his hands on the ground, he tried to distinguish where the pulse came from. He traced it back until he stopped at a birch tree; here, right between the roots, the pulsation was on its peak. Now probably anybody could have felt it. Milo was shaking. He had absolutely no clue what this could have caused. But he couldn't sit there and do nothing; it was his responsibility to go after potential threats concerning his element.<br/>
So now, instead of scooping out flowers, he dug his hands in the earth to get and see whatever was in there. Had he given a second thought to it, he'd retrieved his trowel, but in that moment he was too excited and also too worried to let any time pass. If he'd gone away for just one second, would the pulse still be there? Digging deeper, he suddenly could feel some hard material, which felt strangely warm in his fingers. It was a small object, so it should be easy to retrieve it from the earth. And it was. One second later, he held something in his hands that looked like a violet gem. But a gem should be crystal cold, and this one was vibrating with warmth.</p>
<p> What on earth...? He couldn't even finish this sentence in his head, before something was changing again. The gem began to glow, and it brightened every second, until Milo had to close his eyes. Has he just plucked a sun from the earth?Rubicante, what the hell have you left in my garden? No, it still felt comfortably warm. Luckily, it didn't stay like that forever, and the light started to dim again. And Milo opened his eyes. </p>
<p>And now here he was. In a different place, a different season, at night. Well, why not? Something different. </p>
<p>"So you've found this..." Helcurt motioned towards the gem embedded in Milo's hands, "In your garden?" </p>
<p>They both looked down at the gem. Milo hadn't looked at it very closely before. Shaped like a hexagon, it had sharp edges. At the first glance he had thought it was of violet colour, but now he couldn't tell anymore. One time it seemed violet, the other time it looked turquoise, blue, lavender, or any other shape between violet, blue and green. It seemed actually like the colours were trapped inside it, whirling and changing and melting. It was stunningly beautiful.<br/>
Milo forced himself to look up again. He shrieked back; Helcurt’s face was right there before him, still caught in the sight of the gem. Milo coughed. With a embarrassed hiss, Helcurt came back to reality and flinched back. </p>
<p>"Soooo.... I suppose this is no coincidence, right?" Helcurt nodded, regaining his posture. </p>
<p>"Definitely not, the universe is rarely so lazy."<br/>
Muttering, apparently more to himself, he continued:<br/>
"Hyperion just vanished from the sky, and the same moment you show up carrying this gem with you..." </p>
<p>"Hyperion?"<br/>
Very humble of Helcurt to leave out that important bit of information. </p>
<p>"Yes. Do you see this constellation up there? The one that's shaped like a pair of eyes, or an infinity loop."<br/>
He pointed upwards.<br/>
It took Milo some time; he was not used to looking at constellations, although Barbarriccia once tried to show him. That had been a very long night. Finally he made out an arrangement that could be a pair of eyes, but it seemed kind of off. One eye seemed to be a cat eye; the other one looked more human. </p>
<p>"That's the constellation named Scalcur, the biggest one in this world. It has got 27 stars; but now it counts only 26."<br/>
Milo nodded; he could imagine another star between the two eyes, forming a sort of infinity loop. </p>
<p>"Wait...you said this world. What is this world called?" </p>
<p>"We're here in the land of dawn. Why?"</p>
<p> Milo felt smacked on the head. </p>
<p>"I'm not from here." </p>
<p>"Well I gathered! You have to come from the other end in the east, where the days are long and sunny; this might be the reason why I don't know you..." </p>
<p>"No I don't mean that I'm from another region! I'm from another world!"<br/>
Milo almost cried out that last part. He breathed in. No need to lose his mind now.<br/>
"Oh" was the only thing Helcurt did say to that. </p>
<p>Milo was grateful; he rather wanted to change the subject. He couldn't do anything about that anyways. </p>
<p>"Is it important? The constellation?"<br/>
A dumb question at the second glance, but Helcurt didn't bother, he seemed glad about an easier topic, too. </p>
<p>"Nobody knows. Two different eyes staring down at you leave a lot of interpretation. Prophecies say it is the most important of all, their sayings differ, but some find overlapping features in them: Apparently, the night the constellation goes uncompleted will become eternal, for the sun will never return." </p>
<p>Milo went silent on that. This brought a totally new dimension to their circumstances. If the prophecies were true, they would be in deep shit. But there has got to be a purpose for him being transported to this world. He could still feel the warmth vibrating in his hands. From the beginning, he knew it had something to do with this gem. What if... He held it out to Helcurt, who seemed being dived deeply into a thinking process. Milo held it in front of himself like a shield. </p>
<p>"What?"<br/>
Helcurt frowned in confusement, interrupted from his thoughts. With a step towards him, Milo placed the gem on Helcurt’s chest, pressing it onto the cotton of his clothing. Helcurt’s eyes widened, and after a second, he slowly took the gem from Milo's hands. </p>
<p>(POV HELCURT)</p>
<p> The gem felt like life itself. He had never expected for it to be this warm and pulsating, full of energy. He had seen some of the mages doing magic with balls of light; now he wondered if this was the exact feeling they had when they held them in their hands. And suddenly, he got what Milo was trying to say. </p>
<p>"You think this is...?" </p>
<p>"Definitely." </p>
<p>"But how..." </p>
<p>Helcurt moved the gem from one clawed hand to the other. How could this possibly be a star? But, otherwise, he had no other explanation. Still, what were they supposed to do now? Helcurt caught Milo's eyes. He knew exactly what the other one was thinking at the moment. And he didn't like it. </p>
<p>"No. Don't even bother to say it out loud." </p>
<p>"It's the only reasonable solution!" </p>
<p>"A reasonable solution would be for me to go down this shitty mountain again and for you to go home!" </p>
<p>Helcurt really was pissed off now. How did doing his friend a favour end up in meeting a stranger from another world who requested to place a vanished star back in the sky? He was no hero; he had never been the hero, this had always been the other's job. Helcurt only wanted to have his peace. What was the point in trying if he would fail anyways? Taking a star back into the sky? Oh, no problem, a day-to-day task for him. Should he make the sun rise one hour earlier, when he already was at work?<br/>
Under Helcurt's glooming red eyes and twitching crystal tail Milo lost his temper, too. </p>
<p>"Well go home now then! It's not my world that's at stake!"</p>
<p> He sat down with a throb, crossing his arms, his tentacles twitching. </p>
<p>"I never wanted to be here in the first place anyways, and now I'm freezing to death in this bloody cold! I have no clue how on earth I should get back to my own world, but if you want to leave me here in the woods, I'm fine!"</p>
<p> This felt like a slap to Helcurt's egoism, and he immediately started to feel sorry. The fire in his eyes died down, and he put down his glance from Milo's now stormy yellow eyes. Milo was right; he was a complete stranger in this land, unwillingly stranded. And Helcurt had been unjust to him. </p>
<p>"I'm sorry." </p>
<p>Only shortly hesitating, he cut off a bit of his cape and laid it around Milo's shoulders. As he was smaller than Helcurt, it was enough cotton to wear it as some sort of poncho. Milo's gaze turned soft again. </p>
<p>"Thanks" he said shyly. </p>
<p>A silence crept between them, both not knowing what to say. Actually they were in the same boat; none of them had imagined their day to come out like this. Milo started the conversation again. </p>
<p>"I suppose a try is better than nothing." Almost regrettingly he looked at Helcurt.<br/>
"What if we just climb up to the mountain top and see what happens?" </p>
<p>This proposal almost made Helcurt laugh. Almost. Because he had to admit that there was no better thing to do then this. </p>
<p>"You mean then we'd be nearer to...the stars?" </p>
<p>"Yeah." </p>
<p>"Alright then."</p>
<p> Helcurt wasn't so sure whether this was a good idea, but it was better than arguing. </p>
<p>"But just that you know- you've got to place this back into the sky, that's none of my business. I can lead you up there, but that's it - I'm a Shadowbringer, not a Starbringer" </p>
<p>Milo nodded in agreement and the two started their way upwards. </p>
<p>(POV SCARMIGLIONE)</p>
<p> Going up to the top of the mountain - that sounded way more exciting than it was. Crawling up steep granite walls with a cold breeze in his back wasn't really the expectation Milo had for his weekend. </p>
<p>"You said you're an earth master. Can't you grow moss and plants over the stones?” Helcurt asked him, while they were heading towards the summit across a field of hard, sharp stones. </p>
<p>"I could, but that would disturb the rules of nature. Have you ever seen plants in a height of more than 3000 meters?"</p>
<p> Helcurt found no answer to that. A longer period of hiking in silence followed, and Milo was lost in his thoughts while staring at the back of Helcurt. They would have to place the star back into the sky, or else Helcurt's world would be doomed, he was certain. Why else was he brought here? Still, there was a small problem: how to do it. Milo tried not to think about it, however; they would discuss this again at the summit. It was also debatable whether it was even necessary to climb the top. In fact, they knew nothing about anything, and were just acting out of mere feelings. Really good conditions to start with.<br/>
Milo was glad about the slice of coat Helcurt had given him. Not to mention the cold of winter that crept into his bones like a plant stretching out its roots, the higher they got the more prominent got the wind. A chilling, biting sort of wind. Hunched and huddled deeply in his hood, he crept forward. He was glad about Helcurt's guidance and his faintly glowing crystal tail. Normally Milo had no problem in the dark, but here, in the midst of nowhere, no light but the stars and a steep path over rocks Milo would have long slipped and broken his neck. Concentrated on his steps and deep in his thoughts, Milo only noticed late that Helcurt's pace slowed down. He looked up, Helcurt's face turned towards him. </p>
<p>"We're almost there."<br/>
Some more minutes passed, in which they followed a slightly visible trail between the scattered stones. Panting heavily they managed this last bit with careful steps and exhausted legs, surrounding an edge that blocked their view from the summit. And lastly the slope opened up to a broad dark platform of granite, formed slightly like a crater. Milo forced his feet to stop moving and stood at the edge of the platform. There they were. Slowly he trotted around the edge and looked at his surroundings.<br/>
He hadn't really admired the stars before, too concerned with Helcurt's explanations or his own thoughts; but now he couldn't keep his eyes from them. They were different here. Coloured in all variations between blue, violet and pink, variations creating colours he didn't even know the name of, they sparkled the black night sky like freckles on a child's face. Some were more prominent, some stood back, but all contributed to a vivid and beautiful painting. Milo felt as if he was floating. He had never been on top of a mountain at night. The stars seemed more near than the earth down there, an earth he has never set foot on, he realised. Everything covered by the shades of night, stars' lights above his head, lights of scattered villages and apparently a castle far under his feet. Weightless between two worlds, belonging to neither of them. </p>
<p>(POV HELCURT)</p>
<p> Helcurt left Milo his peace and watched him for a moment. It made him a little proud to see his fellow being astounded by his world. The stormy expression in Milo's eyes had completely vanished and been exchanged by an amazed shine. Helcurt smiled, then he turned and wandered around the platform himself.<br/>
They were on a mountain at the edge of the warren land. No far away there was XYZs castle, and around it, some villages. It was a nice look from up here, but Helcurt knew better; there where the shadows stretched out into the distance, and where no more lights were to be seen lay the abyss. These were some really tough people to settle on the edge on the Warren Land; this view was poor compared to the view one might have when climbing a mountain in the east. Fertile land, big piles of villages, light of oil lamps everywhere. But Helcurt preferred the stars; and he could tell Milo did too. </p>
<p>He took some time sitting there regaining his strength until he noticed something odd. The abyss drew his gaze upon it, he couldn't tell why but something seemed off. It really bothered him that he just couldn't figure out what it was. A deep canyon, drawn into the landscape like a scar that would never be given the time to heal. Faintly glowing, as always, producing an uneasy feeling when looking at it, as always. Over there it seemed to be cloudy, the sky not being clear enough to show the stars. Suddenly Helcurt sharply drew in his breath. He realized what had bothered him. This couldn't be possible.<br/>
No.</p>
<p> "So, you won't be amused to hear this, but I've got no idea what we should do now." </p>
<p>Milo, strolling towards Helcurt, stopped his contemplation when his eyes met Helcurt's gaze. </p>
<p>"What's wrong?" </p>
<p>"Look"<br/>
He pointed in the direction of the abyss, and Milo's eyes followed his finger. </p>
<p>It took him quite long to notice, and when he did, Helcurt heard him gasp loudly. Yes, they were in deep shit. Helcurt had misunderstood the prophecies; the world was not to become an eternal night, but an eternal darkness. They both shared the same thoughts, looking out to the abyss and the sky above it. No stars stood there, just darkness, as if some black ink had been spilled over it and formed a trail. </p>
<p>"What is happening?" Milo asked, barely breathing. Helcurt had spent a long time in the abyss, seeking for peace in an area where no one bothered. He knew the answer. </p>
<p>"There are demons living inside the abyss, and far worse things than them. Apparently they have found a way to get out, and along with them the Darkness."<br/>
Now not only poisoning the earth, but also the sky. A moment of silence, allowing the horrible consequences to sink in. The Darkness would spread, for sure; it was just a question of how fast. How could this come? </p>
<p>"They should not be able to leave the abyss..." Could stars have the function of a key? Milo seemed to have the same thoughts. </p>
<p>"It must have to do with the star, that's what the prophecies say." </p>
<p>With an anticipating look he turned to Helcurt. It all fitted too well to be a lucky guess. Helcurt would never forgive himself if their contemplations were true and they didn't try. This was his world after all, and even if he wouldn't get the recognition, it was still his job to do the right thing and protect it. He nodded in determination. </p>
<p>"Then let's get to work"</p>
<p> He marched to the centre of the crater with Milo following; it just felt right to do so. </p>
<p>"I guess we have to try combining our forces. We know you're an earth master; anything else that could be useful?"<br/>
Milo pondered the question. </p>
<p>"Well I...No, nothing else."<br/>
Insecurity lay in the way he tried to avoid Helcurt's stern stare. This was not the time to hold back things from each other. </p>
<p>"Come on. No need to be ashamed. Everything could be important!" </p>
<p>"Um okay, so a friend of mine once showed me how to summon a lightning" </p>
<p>"But that's great!" </p>
<p>"Yeah, but it never really worked when I tried it on my own."<br/>
Milo looked down, and if Helcurt would have seen his face behind the hood, he surely would have seen him blushing.<br/>
Not knowing what to respond to that, he went back to business. </p>
<p>"Okay, not too good conditions, but we can maybe still make use of that." </p>
<p>"What about you?"<br/>
It was clear that Milo wanted to move on to another subject. </p>
<p>"As said before, I'm a Shadowbringer, I can summon shadows and hide in them." He shook his head.<br/>
"No power is more useless at the moment than this", be added with bitterness in his voice. </p>
<p>They both stood there in silence, suddenly realising how completely foolish they looked. Every choice they had made so far was out of sheer feeling; they didn't even know whether they should have attempted doing anything. They were just making this up as they went. </p>
<p>"But for which other reason did I get transported here?” Milo asked.<br/>
This time the argument sounded weak, and knowing that it was pretty much their only one didn't help. But apparently Milo still hadn't lost his motivation. </p>
<p>"What do you mean by summoning shadows?" </p>
<p>Helcurt sighed. There was really no point in this, seriously. But out of kindness he explained anyways, also because it's been a long time someone bothered to ask him. </p>
<p>"You could say I lend them. Big shadows like the one you're throwing at daylight are way too conspicuous to take them. I prefer the little shadows nobody notices, the shadow under your chin, and the shadow of every blade of grass. They are everywhere there is light, and you wouldn't bet, but they are way enough to disguise myself completely."</p>
<p>Helcurt spent some time reflecting whether he hadn't forgotten anything, then he added:<br/>
"It takes a lot of time to learn this skill until your instincts take over and you find them automatically. You then have to absorb them into your being, thicken them and throw it over you or someone else like a cloak." </p>
<p>Milo nodded, impressed. Then he pulled out the gem from under his clothes and kept staring at it for a while. Having known him for this short period of time, he surely was thinking about a solution. Helcurt, meanwhile, was crying internally. Sure, he didn't really believe in all this destiny thing from the beginning, but Milo really managed to build up a glimmer of hope and confidence inside Helcurt. Just that now this glimmer was useless. He had been living in the abyss, among all those dark creatures and forces; it was a time where he felt noble and better than the others. He could cope with them, they accepted him as one of them, but he couldn't imagine what would happen if they escaped into his world. He didn't want to imagine.<br/>
Milo approached him. Apparently his contemplations had ended. </p>
<p>"Have you ever tried to absorb light?" </p>
<p>An unspoken suggestion lay in his words, a last, hopeful straw to hold on to. Helcurt didn't want to hurt him, but he had to tell the truth. </p>
<p>"No, I haven't" </p>
<p>"But you could try, can't you?" Helcurt wanted to snap back, wanted to tell him how pathetic and silly he was and how things didn't always end up in a happy end. But in the end he remained silent. It was no good fighting now; he's hurt Milo already too much. He thought back to the demons and the abyss and Cyclops probably fallen asleep on the couch staying up late, worried about him. Even Alucard crossed his head, he surely had no idea what was going on. Nobody had.<br/>
"I guess I can", Helcurt muttered.<br/>
"I guess I can give it a try" </p>
<p>He looked Milo straight in the eyes, which were smiling warmly at him. Even though they seemed to share the same ideas, Helcurt still wasn't aware of Milo's whole plan. </p>
<p>"So let's say I manage to absorb Hyperion's light, what should we do then?" </p>
<p>Milo fiddled with the gem nervously.<br/>
"I thought, well, maybe once the light is free it will go back to its original place by itself"</p>
<p> Helcurt snorted. This seemed a bit too easy to be honest. </p>
<p>"I don't think so. Why are you here then? We both have to use our powers."<br/>
It was crystal clear for Helcurt; Milo had to make use of his lightning power. </p>
<p>"I summon the light and as soon as I pass it to you, you're summoning a lightning which will build a connection between sky and heaven. If we're lucky, the light will get transported back there."</p>
<p> This sounded pretty good in his head, and suddenly he was convinced that this could work. Just that now Milo seemed to be the pessimistic one. </p>
<p>"But I don't know how to do it! I've tried a lot of times, and it never worked! How do I know that it will work this time?" "I don't know if absorbing light will work for me either! I mean, there's got to be a reason why I'm a Shadowbringer, not a Lightbringer."</p>
<p> He approached Milo, put his hands on his shoulders and looked him straight in the eyes. He tried to appear as confident as possible. </p>
<p>"But it's worth a try, isn't it?" Milo looked back at him doubtly, uncertain. There they were, two strangers who didn't knew what to do with themselves. Helcurt had been through some terrible mood swings this evening; he never had been the hero, nobody had ever expected it from him, and neither did he. But this night had taught him something new: Actually, he wanted to be the hero, just once, even just secretly. And then there was that big feeling of not caring about anything and just trying for the sake of it. Milo seemed to feel similar, or maybe not at all, but in this moment when they both stared into each other's eyes he noticed a mood change in him. Then, Milo nodded. </p>
<p>"It's worth a try" </p>
<p>They both stood in the middle of the clearing, Milo keeping some safety distance to Helcurt. He had handed him the gem, and now Helcurt held it before him with its warm pulse in his claws. Closing his eyes, he tried to concentrate all of his senses on the glowing life inside. Instead of sensing a hundred different sources and joining them, he now focused on one, only one source of power. That was harder than he presumed; his thoughts seemed to stroll around restlessly, not wanting to be caught. Instinctively his being was drawn to the shadows, and they were answering. With a roar he tried to suppress this instinct. He had to remember that shadows were not darkness itself; they just meant the absence of light. And light meant the absence of shadows, while at the same time creating them in the first place. </p>
<p>He changed his strategy; he wasn't going anywhere when he tried to look for light. So instead he traced back the origin of every each shadow. He almost lost them, getting more and more transparent to his senses, but finally he could distinguish fading lines before his eyes, all pointing towards the sky. As he found this pattern, it was fairly easy to exclude the one line that wasn't leading upwards but to his hands. And then with all his strength and willpower he followed it. His instincts yelled at him to leave the source, said that this was the wrong direction, but it was too late; he arrived at the end of the line, sensing no more than a slight prickle in his nostrils, and dived into nothing but light. He couldn't describe that feeling as he absorbed the light. It was similar to the shadows, somewhat comforting like a woollen blanket, but instead of being like the comfort of cool days in a cosy home in autumn, this felt like the first spring day after a dark winter. It felt so incredibly good that he experienced a sudden mood change. He wanted to embrace the whole world. But this energy was so much more vibrant and alive than the shadows he was used to, so it wasn't easy to hold it together. Between slightly gripped teeth he called out to Milo.<br/>
"Get ready!" </p>
<p>(POV SCARMIGLIONE)</p>
<p> Helcurt's call woke Milo from his thoughts. The sight of Helcurt absorbing the light was mesmerizing; Milo had lost himself in it. Helcurt was surrounded by a cloud of what seemed like shimmering, floating dust particles in all shapes of violet. He wasn't clearly visible behind this beautiful hurricane, but Milo could still distinguish his glowing crystal tail and blades which seemed to get a totally new intense colour scheme. </p>
<p>But he had to focus; now that Helcurt had apparently mastered to summon the light, it all depended on Milo now. Suddenly he was afraid. But this was not the time for pulling the coward, so he tried to concentrate on Barbarriccia's lesson and remember her warm smile. He ought to not think about how this could also cost Helcurt's life if he didn't aim correctly. He just closed his eyes and sensed for the energy lying in the air, feeling the energy in the earth right next to Helcurt, full of stones and mostly lifeless. Then the vague and distant feeling of the sky full of stars above their head. The wind, the air, was the connecting element between these two, but he didn't seem to grasp it the right way. As always. Earth was his element, solid, everlasting soil that was physically present.</p>
<p> Milo was so stuck in his desperation, that he hadn't noticed how Helcurt's cloud of dust had become bigger so that it now touched him. He only noticed when he remarked a change in the air around him. As he opened his eyes, a whirl of glooming particles whirled around him, painting formations of milky ways and colourful galaxies. It was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen. With a side glance to Helcurt who seemed to struggle with the light Milo closed his eyes again. This time it had to work. And it did. </p>
<p>Milo again reached for the energy contained in the earth under his feet, drew it out of ancient granite and frozen soil. And with a stomp of his foot he let it escape the ground, but this time, it didn't get blown away with the wind like dry leaves. It stayed floating there, chirping and crepitating, ready to be commanded. The light particles somehow seemed to help. Nevertheless it needed his whole focus to hold them in place. As soon as he was more or less secure, he started to execute the movements Barbarriccia taught him. Actually it was more of a dance, but Milo doubted that he looked that gracefully and swift like her. But it was enough; the energy swirled round in a tiny tornado, faster and faster, tightening. The air was electric, dense; the brightening swirl of energy crafted a surreal atmosphere, projecting light on both their faces. Then, in less than a blink of an eye, the energy became a lightning. All wading violet particles were pulled into it like a magnet, and with a deafening flash the lightning disappeared up into the night sky, and the brightly lit mountain top became black again.</p>
<p> Milo moaned. He lay on the ground with his face in the snow. He rolled over quickly, disoriented. What had just happened? Sitting up, he noticed that his hood had slid off; quickly he picked it up again and warmed his head in the comfort of the cloth. He looked around; had anybody seen him? Then his look halted at another figure lying on the ground. In this moment everything rushed back to his memory. Helcurt. Was he alright? He stood up, uneasy on his feet, and went across to Helcurt. His body felt surprisingly weak. Apparently they've both been knocked over by the sheer blast of force getting loose. Milo was worried about Helcurt; he had been holding the power for a great amount of time, and the exhaustion must have strained him out. But when touching his chest he felt a reassuringly constant heartbeat, so it was just a matter of time until Helcurt too would eventually wake up. </p>
<p>Milo settled down beside him, and then he looked up at the sky. He smiled. Their efforts hadn't been worthless after all. He wasn't feeling so cold anymore; proudness and happiness warmed him from inside. He had actually managed to summon a lightning, even if it was actually a reversed one and by the help of a star. Barbarriccia will be proud of him when he shows her. This thought scratched a scar across his heart; he was so far away from anyone at the moment. </p>
<p>He was interrupted, luckily, by Helcurt groaning and moving. Sitting up, he flinched at Milo. One moment later he realised. </p>
<p>"Oh. Hey." </p>
<p>"Hey, good morning", Milo responded in a cheerful manner. </p>
<p>"You call this morning? What sort of world are you coming from?" </p>
<p>Milo couldn't distinguish Helcurt's face under the hood, but he could hear his smile and see the mockery blinking in his eyes. With a thud, Helcurt sank back to the ground again. A sound of surprise accompanied the movement. </p>
<p>"It's there! We've made it!" </p>
<p>"Yes, we did." </p>
<p>For the moment, nothing else needed to be said. The link between the humanly eye, being a perfect copy of Milo's, was complete again, next to it the catlike shape of Helcurt's eye. Helcurt's world was saved. It was a strange feeling, being the hero of so many people without them even knowing, isolated on top of this icy mountain, a breeze of dawn in the air. A breeze of eternity between time. And later when they both had had their rest, they stood at the edge of the crater again and looked out towards the abyss. </p>
<p>"The stars there haven't appeared yet. I guess they never will." </p>
<p>Apparently some things would remain lost forever. They've done their best and still, it had left some traces. Milo's head was filled with questions, or more specifically, two, of whom he only dared to speak out loud one. </p>
<p>"There's one thing which doesn't make sense to me; why would a star simply vanish to be placed back one hour later? What change did it make?" </p>
<p>"Well some demons may have already escaped to the outside. Also you're here, aren't you? Destiny has got to have big plans with you."</p>
<p> Destiny. He had met her once, and he wasn't looking forward to the next time. But he looked at Helcurt who stood with a stormy, confident look in his eyes, wind swirling through his light coloured armoury cloak. </p>
<p>"With us both."</p>
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